depth perception

About every 6 months, we take K to the Retina Foundation in Dallas, something her opthamologist recommends we do to help her little eyes develop the best they can. 2 visits ago, honey took her, and was surprised to learn through some tests they gave her, that she has no depth perception. That's defined by wikipedia as "the visual ability to perceive the world in three dimensions...Depth perception allows the beholder to accurately gauge the distance to an object." I took her again last week, and they again administered these tests. I laughed and said that I probably didn't have any either, so the guy working there let me take the tests as well. Guess what? I was absolutely right. No depth perception whatsoever. So many things fell into place at that moment: my inability to play basketball explained, my inability to see those "magic" pictures that were so popular when I was in high school, all the running into corners and walls that I do... I can't accurately gauge distance to objects! I'm not denying my natural clumsiness, but this at least explains part of it!

Made me think. Several weeks ago, our pastor was talking about biblical authority, one of the core values of our church. He stated that having knowledge of Scripture is a bit like having a full can of paint in the garage - it doesn't do much good until you get it out and apply it! Jesus' teaching at the end of His Sermon on the Mount emphasizes this: Everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock, and the rains descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst upon that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built his house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall (Matt. 7:23-27). Do you see it there? Both of these guys had the same information: the difference in their outcomes was the application of that information.

This idea has been really good for me to ponder. I come from a background where knowledge is highly valued. Many places I've been highly emphasize what one knows about the Bible. And that's great: there's nothing wrong with biblical knowledge. But when I don't apply what I know about the Bible, I'm in danger of being wiped out by the storms that life will inevitably bring.

So depth perception...I might think that I'm safe and sound on the rock, with a firm, really deep foundation, but I wonder if, in reality, lots of the time I'm just a few inches deep in the sand. Father, help me to apply those things that I know of your Word, and of those things that I'm learning everyday. I desire a deep, firm foundation that's not shaken by the storms of life, that reflects a heart that desires to obey all that You've given us, even when it's really hard to do.

Our small group assignment after that lesson was to look at James 1:19-27, and really ponder it, so there's the challenge, ladies! That's a birthday pic of our little depth perception-challenged ladybug, by the way. She turned 4 yesterday!